Obsession His Runaway Bride (Noelle and Adrian) novel Chapter 126

Chapter 126: Good Man

Chapter 126: Good Man

“I used to watch sunsets with my sister.”

The words suddenly slipped out of Grace like a thread being tugged loose. She didn’t look at him. Her gaze stayed on the distant sun as it sank behind the hills, scattering its light like the memory of someone leaving without saying goodbye.

Keegan turned to her, and though he said nothing, something in him paused as if holding his breath. He didn’t smile, didn’t offer a comfort that would feel cheap. He just listened.

And in the silence, Grace continued.

“I always thought… maybe if I stared long enough, I’d see her again. Somewhere in the clouds. Like she’d step out of the light and sit beside me. Just for a second.”

Her voice trembled at the edges, not from tears but from that kind of ache that had worn itself into her bones long ago. The kind that no longer screamed but still lingered.

Keegan lowered himself beside her, slow and careful, as if any sudden movement might shatter the moment. He didn’t sit too close but just near enough that his shoulder hovered beside hers, letting her feel he was there without taking more than she was willing to give.

“I… don’t think people disappear when they leave us,” he said finally in a low murmur against the hush of twilight. His eyes stayed on the fading colors of the sky, and his tone wasn’t meant to console… it was meant to meet her where she was.

“They just… change shape,” he continued. “They slip into the stories we keep telling. The dreams that come without warning. The way certain songs feel heavier, even if we don’t know why. They stay in the way we reach for a mug or fold a blanket, because once… they did it first, and we remembered.”

Grace said nothing, but her hands had gone still in her lap. Her shoulders began to ease as she breathed, realizing the truth behind his words.

Keegan’s gaze lowered slightly. “That’s why it feels so heavy when they’re gone… It’s not just grief. It’s the weight of still loving them… and having nowhere to put the love anymore.”

Grace drew in a breath that trembled slightly as it left her.

She felt unsure, but still she whispered, “It’s exhausting, isn’t it? Carrying that kind of love.”

Keegan nodded and looked at her. “Yeah. But grief is just love looking for a place to go. And it only hurts that much because they were real.”

As Grace felt his gaze on her, she also turned her gaze and looked at him. Her eyes softened as the realization slowly sank inside her head…

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Chapter 10 Gend Malt

Keegan is a good man.

+15 BONUS

And when that thought settled inside her, Grace found herself reaching for him. Her fingers brushed his, then wrapped around his hand in a gentle, almost hesitant squeeze. The gesture was small, but it carried more weight than any confession.

Keegan blinked, caught off guard by her touch. Then his eyes widened a little more when she spoke.

“I’d love to eat out tonight,” she said in a soft tone then added with the smallest, hopeful smile, “Will you take me out to dinner?”

For a second, Keegan forgot how to speak.

The question, simple as it was, rattled something deep in him. Maybe it was the subtle trust behind it, or the way her hand was still holding his like it belonged there. Either way, he felt the air in his chest grow warm and flustered.

He cleared his throat as his eyes flicked down to their joined hands before he answered.

“Y–Yeah,” he said, chuckling lightly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “Yeah, I mean–of course. I’d… I’d be honored.”

His voice dropped slightly on the last word, low and genuine. Like it meant more to him than just a simple answer.

Then, after a beat, he glanced sideways at her and smiled softly, almost sheepishly like he couldn’t quite believe she’d asked. His usual confidence, the kind that made men flinch and rooms fall silent, had vanished. All that was left was a man quietly hoping he could make her happy.

“I just hope you’re ready to be disappointed,” he added as his eyes began crinkling. “I’m a terrible food picker unless it’s takeout or black coffee.”

Grace laughed. It was a sound so light and clear that Keegan swore the walls around his heart cracked just a little more.

“Liar,” she said, shaking her head with a smile. “I loved everything you’ve brought me so far.”

Keegan lit up at those words. Not just smiled…he lit up. The kind of grin that turned his sharp jawline soft and made him look unfairly younger.

“You mean it?” he asked, sounding way too eager for a man who made knees tremble with one word.

Grace tilted her head, amused. “What, you thought I was pretending to enjoy all that soup and fresh pasta and… what was that thing yesterday?

“Spinach and feta quiche,” he replied, instantly. I stayed up at three a.m. searching for

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Chapter

15 BONUS

recipes that were light but filling, easy on the stomach but… you know, still tasted like food.”

“You cooked it?”

“I mean,” he shrugged, looking away with that same bashful grin, “I made the chef show me how. Twice. And then I watched five different video tutorials because I wanted it to taste right. You hadn’t eaten much the day before, and I thought maybe. “He paused.

Grace blinked, taken aback. She hadn’t expected that.

“You did all that… for me?”

Keegan scratched behind his ear, clearly flustered “I know I probably overthink things a little, but… you know… I just want to get it right. You don’t have to say anything, I just–God, I’m rambling now.”

Grace smiled at him, softer than before. “Keegan.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not overthinking. You’re just… kind. It’s not something I’m used to.”

With that response, Keegan met her gaze with genuine, open affection.

“I don’t want you to get used to it,” he said quietly. “I want you to expect it. Every time.”

Grace looked away, as if his words were too much to hold in one breath.

“Dinner,” she finally said. “Let’s go to that little place down the street. The one with the yellow awning and the fairy lights? I saw it once from the car window on the way here. It looked like… I would really love it there.”

Keegan grinned again.

“Okay. Then it’s a date.” He said that made her brow arch playfully.

“A date?”

His eyes widened nervously at her reply. “No–I mean, not unless… I mean, if you want it to be –but not if you don’t. It can be dinner. Just dinner. With fairy lights. And soup. And-”

Grace laughed again, cutting him off. She clearly enjoyed teasing this stern–looking man that instantly transforms into a bashful puppy with just a few words from her.

“A date sounds good,” she said.

Keegan practically melted, and as he helped her to her feet and steadied her with both hands, he looked like a man who had just won a war he didn’t realize he was fighting.

Because for all the power he had in the world, all the fear he commanded and all the men who obeyed him without question–nothing and absolutely nothing, could be compared to the

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Chapter 16 Goud Mali

feeling of Grace choosing him.